02-21-2013 Morning Fire at the Toast Cafe

Battalion Chief Rodney Jones said flames were shooting out a side door and smoke was billowing out several windows as the first firefighters arrived on the scene. As the firefighters made their way inside the smoke-filled building to make an interior attack, Chief Jones called for a couple of additional fire companies to bring in some extra manpower and equipment. The firefighters located the bulk of the fire toward the rear of the building, and down in what was described as a crawl space. Chief Jones said the firefighters were able to get the blaze under control in roughly 30 minutes. No injuries were reported.

In getting the fire under control so quickly, the firefighters managed to save Chad's CDs, Records & Tapes, which is located in the same building. The only thing separating the two businesses is an interior wall. Chad's has a large collection of old, irreplaceable vinyl records. The business did sustain smoke damage, but most if not all of the merchandise appeared to be undamaged. Since the firefighters were going to have to continue to wet down the ceiling and other parts of the building, Chattanooga firefighters removed the old records on display on the walls, and covered up the entire collection with protective tarps.

The sections of Vine and Lindsay next to the café will probably remain closed for several more hours while fire crews finish putting out hot spots. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Chattanooga police and Hamilton County EMS provided valuable assistance on the scene.

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